An e-learning pediatric cardiology curriculum for Pediatric Postgraduate trainees in Rwanda: implementation and...

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Cardiology
• Digital Health

Background:

• Pediatric sub-specialty training is limited in resource-limited settings.
• Rwanda faces a critical shortage of pediatric cardiologists, impacting both care and education.
• An e-learning curriculum was developed to address these training gaps.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and evaluate a flipped classroom e-learning curriculum in pediatric cardiology for Rwandan residents.
• To improve the efficiency of specialist time by enabling digital pre-learning.
• To assess the knowledge, utilization, and satisfaction of residents with the digital curriculum.

Main Methods:

• A modified Delphi approach was used to identify key pediatric cardiology topics with Rwandan and US faculty.
• An e-learning curriculum was created with OPENPediatrics™ featuring ten structured video topics.
• A mixed-methods evaluation involved surveys and interviews with Rwandan pediatric residents.

Main Results:

• Knowledge assessment scores improved significantly from 66.2% to 76.7% (p < 0.001) after curriculum completion.
• Residents reported high satisfaction with the curriculum's visuals, engagement, and organization.
• Common barriers included lack of time (70%) and internet access (40%), yet utilization was high.

Conclusions:

• Video-based e-learning is effective for improving pediatric cardiology knowledge in resource-limited settings.
• The OPENPediatrics™ platform facilitated high utilization and satisfaction among residents.
• Digital curricula offer an efficient strategy to enhance sub-specialty training where faculty are scarce.